September 19th, 1989, London, Hyde Park, 3:00 PM
One of the benefits of being a Half-blood or Muggle-born was that one could possess a qualitative amount of Muggle knowledge.
However, this tended to lessen once the Muggle-born or Half-blood integrated into the Wizard society. For Ethan, the true epitome of a Ravenclaw, 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure', therefore almost knowledge never got past him; the man had disdained the foolish arrogance and backwardness of the Wizard World.
The vast amount of muggle science knowledge was a source of inspiration for much of his research. He spent nine years of his life dedicated to the act of incorporating the two sides of the world; the magical world would inevitably be prone to exposure due to the increasingly advanced technology and the thirst for conquering human nature.
This was also Ethan's resort to moving forward and fulfilling his promises.
….
Sam was looking at all that research with eyes as wide as possible. Through Ethan's elaboration, most of these were based on the principle of utilising runes to minimise the use of electricity to almost none. Runic circuit and magic frequency came along as he was putting theory into reality.
"I suggest you start with the Runic Lamp; it is based on the lightbulb, though it can be in all shapes and sizes, and it can produce light thrice as bright as those everlasting candles. You don't know how much the lightning problems at Hogwarts bothered me.
"Moreover, out of all the inventions I gave you, this one has the least complicated mechanic; our college will figure it out in less than two days." Ethan wiped his glasses as he spoke.
Sam raised his eyebrows at Ethan's remark of rather sarcasm. Unbeknownst to Ethan, his 'theory' was going to give the entire Society of Ancient Rune Researchers (SARR) as well as the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office quite a severe headache.
"Right, it seems like I have to make a trip to the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office.
"After all, like you said, this borrows a lot from the muggle arte-technology; they can help significantly regarding the distribution of this 'lamp' as well as the related policies. This reminds me of someone of pure blood, but of course, not like many others, he was particularly fond of those inventions of the muggle."
Sam's eyes narrowed as he tried to recall some unhinged memory. "I remember he did get his hands on a Ford Anglia and manage to enchant it somehow, but my instinct tells me something amiss about all of it, like the next moment the car would come alive."
Ethan was intrigued by this information; it's nigh impossible to find like-minded individuals in this particular field nowadays. "Well, that's quite an impressive attempt, I'd say. I hope to have an exchange with him someday."
"Of course, I can't wait to see what kind of atrocious monstrosity invention you two would come up with." Ethan rolled his eyes at Sam's stupidly wide grin.
"With that settled, I bid you an efficient upcoming working period. I take a long-term vacation as my reward for all of this contribution. Thanks in advance, boss. Harry!" Ethan said rapidly as he curled up a smirk and quickly bolted to Harry's side, leaving Sam dumbfounded for seconds.
"What do you mean by long-term holiday? How I am supposed to... Oh, no, you don't. Ethan!" Sam shouted aggressively as he began to imagine that mountainous paperwork.
"I have already sent your assistant a copy of this as well as some of my regards via Owl. She'll be thrilled to have a reasonable excuse to force you to work on this. Now, let us bid farewell to Mr. Faramundo, Harry." Harry smiled and waved at Sam while Ethan tipped his hat and led the boy to disappear into the upcoming crowd.
Sam was temporarily so happy with Harry's opening up to him that he decided to let Ethan go this time, but be sure that he'd pay it back nice and done.
Sigh, the middle-aged man sat back down at the bench as his mind raced with thoughts on how to handle all of these 'outrageous'.
Sam's Slytherin quality told him that what Ethan presented just then was much more important than the gentleman had noticed.
Letting this fall completely under that corrupted Ministry would be a sin. Just then, his eyes flashed with brilliance as the snake's ambition growled with excitement. 'You're not going to have a vacation with Harry that easy, my dear subordinate. Can't wait to see your face tomorrow.'
The man's figure then turned blurry and vanished into the air.
…
The sun began setting as the pair made their way out of the park, headed in the direction of Baker Street.
On the way, they stumbled across a street magician doing some rather popular card tricks, such as hat trick with pigeons, which caught Harry's eye. The boy watched the show attentively before he turned his gaze back at his kind guardian with a puzzled look.
Yet, before the boy could raise his question, Ethan answered calmly, as if to state the obvious truth.
"It is an art of illusion, a subtle deception in the eyes of the spectator." Ethan then pulled out a coin from Harry's ears, which earned him the boy's astonishing look and a smile as he set an example. "With enough practise, almost everyone can do it, but the magic you and I possess only blooms in rare souls. It is truly magical and much more profound."
Ethan turned to the opposite of the magician as he spoke. "Therefore, it is also much more dangerous if one could not control it; it would turn into a curse."
"Like Accidental Magic?"
"Yes."
One of the pigeons suddenly got out of control as it kept pooping on the magician, which earned him a hefty laugh from everyone watching. Ehan just shook his head in pity.
"Remember, Harry, a magician never performs without preparation." Little did he know, those words would carve themselves into the boy's mind for the rest of his life.
They resumed their journey after Ethan spotted a furniture shop nearby. Harry watched from the door as Ethan bolted into the shop to have a quick conversation with the receptionist before Ethan gave her a cheque and bid farewell happily.
They finally made it back home at exactly 6:30 p.m. They brought food along the way, as Ethan suggested that they would make dinner together, which was the traditional Irish stew. It was quite a happy experience for the boy, as he got to do so many fun things today.
Today would forever be one of his happiest memories.
Still, Harry had meaning to get it off his mind. Putting away the dishes, Harry began to raise his voice, his big emerald eyes looking anxiously at Ethan.
"Uncle Ethan, I have something to ask about—about my parent…" His voice trailed off as the horrid memories of the nightmare resurged.
Only Ethan's sincere and calm tone soothed his nervousness. "Yes, Harry, I do remember to tell you about the truth and think it is the right time." Ethan settled the boy down and summon a glass of fresh lemon juice for both of them. "So, what do you want to know?"
Harry began to recount the event in his nightmare, as the boy doubted it was just a normal nightmare, for he felt it was so real. Ethan narrowed his eyes at the boy's words as he summoned to newspaper related to the Potter's tragedy and began to tell the boy's story.
In the previous wizarding world, the dark lord, the newspaper information on that faithful Halloween night, and his insight into the event
All of this was too much for a 9-year-old boy who had a not-too-well mentality.
Harry felt like his world was spinning as he tried to process the whole thing Ethan just said, though it did take quite a while before Harry began to realise that his parents had protected him with everything they had; it wasn't a waste of space; he wasn't the scourge of his parents. His tears began to fall silently as Ethan pulled him into a warm embrace, patting the boy back gently.
Harry began to compose himself as he began to inquire about the whole The-Boy-Who-Lived thing. "You're considered the hero of the wizarding world, Harry; many looked up to you fanatically; they took the words of the Dailey Prophet blindly. Well, I say you can consider yourselves to be the most sought-after celebrities!"
"But... but I was just one year old, and if the nightmare was true, it would be Mother's magic that defeated him," Harry said frantically as Ethan just shrugged, indicating his disdain for how blindly the mass is, though you couldn't fully blame them for all of that.
A realisation dawned upon Harry that to officially make his appearance in the Wizarding World, he'd be hunted like some exotic animal in the zoo, and every person would scrutinise him with unknown motives. Insecurity overwhelmed his mind as he clung to Ethan subconsciously, like a koala.
Ethan just smiled helplessly at his boy as he assured him. "You will have to face it sooner or later, Harry, and I believe you will be ready by then. Remember, I'll be with you at every step until you're ready.
"On the optimistic side, this would be a great opportunity to find true friends; they're like stars; you can only recognise them when it's dark around you."
Harry slowly popped up his head for Ethan's chest as he met those dazzling, kind, dark-amber eyes smiling at him. "You are not alone, Harry."
Harry nodded as Ethan ruffled his already messy hair. "Now it's time for bed. I believe we've got a big day tomorrow."
…
September 19th, 1989, London, Port of London, 11:45 PM
The haggard man in the blue dock worker uniform had just finished his tiring shift and was on his way home. The man looked at the waning crescent moon in the night sky and breathed a sigh of relief.
He quickly made his way to his flat, choosing the shortest route.
His flat was located on a building near the Thames River in the East End; the entire place could hardly be called suitable for a living; it was dilapidated; and mottles and bedbugs were present everywhere. I took him some time to shoo away the bug and settle down.
This was the least he could afford for someone who could hardly make ends meet.
Sigh. The haggard man then noticed the appearance of a rather familiar creature, a magical owl, standing quietly on the windowsill, carrying with it a letter with an obvious stamp belonging to the renowned Gringotts.
The man looked rather surprised at the presence of the creature; it was not like he expected to suddenly inherit anything left behind by his family or suddenly become a long-lost heir of some dying noble, especially after all this time, after everything.
Unpleasant memories surged through his mind, and eventually, they came with anger. Self-blaming, unforgiveness, and despair.
However, the man quickly steadied his mind as he made out some sickles left in his trunk. He then proceeded to the owl and collected the letter.
Dear Mr. Remus Lupin,
On behalf of Gringotts, I apologise for our latency as well as our'misbehaving' over the will of the late Potters.
Above all else, we would like to inform you about your involvement in the Harry James Potter adoption according to the deceased's will.
We hope to have you here at the bank tomorrow morning to further discuss the will regarding Mr. Potter's peculiar circumstances.
Sincerely Gerrik.
Remus's first impression was a mix of bewilderment, sadness, happiness, and puzzling but soon those were thwarted. "Come on, pull yourself together, for Harry... for Harry…" The haggard man closed his eyes as the image of the happy little toddler on his toy broom eased his mind, alongside the image of his dear friends.
He reread the letter again and again to make sure he wasn't deluded due to long-term depression.
Then he noticed the mention of Gringotts's'misbehaving' and Harry's 'peculiar circumstance'. 'Albus?... Harry... Did something bad happen to him?... Remus began sweating as pessimistic thoughts flooded his consciousness.
He successfully shrugged them off as he ascertained that Harry was still alive and that he would meet his godson soon enough. This time, he would not let his utterly pity pessimism get the best of him.
With that in mind, Remus quickly wrote a reply letter and sent them with the owl waiting by the windowsill the whole time.